Raúl Fernández entered RNF last year – which in 2024 became Trackhouse Racing. After a difficult debut in MotoGP with Tech3 on a KTM, it was a new beginning that the driver approached with enthusiasm, but quickly became very complicated and did not yield the expected results.
In an interview with PecinoGP, the Spanish rider recalled his season from last year: ‘It was difficult. For me, it was a bit like how I lived it, because there was a moment in the season where everything came together, nothing was working for me. It was difficult to manage so many emotions or difficult moments without enjoying it. The problem is enjoying it, and I think this is important. I said it, I say it, and I will always say it – I think the most important thing for me is to enjoy on the bike, and when I don’t enjoy it, I will have to go home because I don’t like this‘.
Despite being initially excited as it happened at Tech3, Fernández explained that the situation in 2023 was not identical: ‘It was very different, because I saw that I had all the weapons. I had all the weapons and there was a moment when I couldn’t perform because of myself. So, I think that was what blocked me the most. Especially at the beginning of the year, I think there was a lot of pressure on myself, because I came from a very difficult moment, but when the year changed, it resolved. What happened to me? I put a lot of pressure on myself, I was in MotoGP and ultimately the level in MotoGP has never been seen in terms of riders, factories, teams, it’s impressive. That, combined with arm problems – we ended up not realizing, at the end of the year we saw that there was a problem because it was very difficult for us to brake the bike and this made us very tired with our arms‘.
According to Miguel Oliveira’s current teammate, the turning point came last summer: ‘Aprilia has taken an interesting path for this year. Until I wasn’t operated on, I was fine and it was a bit in the summer, when I sat down, I also thought about my whole life to see what I really wanted, if I was meant to be here. And honestly, I can’t live without motorcycles. So, from the summer I was able to change my philosophy a bit, start working, focus on ourselves and above all work on enjoying, forget a bit about the position we are in and enjoy. And that’s when the change started‘.
E Fernández admitted that the first part of the 2024 season was not easy from a mental point of view: ‘Nothing. After all, I started very well, got on the bike and in Sepang [in the tests] I was always close to the top ten and didn’t get into the top ten, which for me was ideal after coming. But I think all that confidence, I got to the last day of testing in Portugal, fell badly, got injured and from there I was no longer comfortable. In the Sprint race I was 11th, very good, fighting with Brad [Binder], in the race I fell due to my arm and everything started to come together. And I think everything kind of slipped away and I lost my way a bit and didn’t manage well’.
